QB Yates holds his own as Texans raise the roof at Reliant

With rookie quarterback T.J. Yates starting for the first time and the Texans trying to elevate their record to 9-3, a sellout crowd responded in a way no player had experienced.

“Hands down, that’s the loudest I’ve ever heard the stadium,” Ryans said after the Texans’ 17-10 victory. “They helped us tremendously. They were so loud they affected the Falcons on their checks and everything.

“We definitely had a home-field advantage today, and we can thank our fans for that. They were great.”

And the Texans were good enough to extend their winning streak to six games and maintain their two-game lead over Tennessee in the AFC South.

With fans chanting “T-J, T-J,” Yates played beyond his years. The fifth-round pick from North Carolina, forced into the lineup because of season-ending injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart, was 12-of-25 for 188 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t throw an interception.

“It’s been a heck of a challenge, and T.J. held up his end of the bargain very well,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “He’s our quarterback the rest of the year. I think it’s important that we go forward and leave our expectations the same.

“I don’t want to cuff him. I just want him to play and get better every week.”

Kubiak, offensive coordinator Rick Dennison and quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp did a superb job of preparing Yates for his first start. As Kubiak told Yates and his teammates at their Saturday night meeting, he wasn’t going to limit his play calling because of the rookie, insisting the game plan would include everything as if Schaub had never been injured.

Yates, who grew up in Marietta, Ga., an Atlanta suburb, connected on four passes for 97 yards with Andre Johnson before their Pro Bowl receiver left the game with another hamstring injury.

Against the NFL’s second-ranked run defense, the Texans rushed for 162 yards on 44 carries. Arian Foster did the heavy-duty work 31 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown.

Foster’s game-winning 1-yard touchdown finished a magnificent 19-play, 85-yard drive that took 10 minutes and 41 seconds off the clock.

“We went into this game with a chip on our shoulder,” said tight end Joel Dreessen, who caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Yates. “We felt insulted that we were (three-point) in first place in our stadium.”

By winning Sunday, the Texans made sure they’re still tied with Pittsburgh, Baltimore and New England for the best record in the AFC.

The league’s top-ranked defense was outstanding. The Texans limited one of the league’s most talented offenses to 10 points and 70 yards rushing.

After the Texans took the seven-point advantage on Foster’s touchdown, the defense had to withstand two Atlanta threats.

On the first one, Antonio Smith tipped Matt Ryan’s fourth-down pass at the Texans’ 25. On the last one, the Falcons reached the Texans’ 30. Ryan threw two passes into the end zone, the first for Roddy White and the second for Julio Jones as time expired.

Cornerback Kareem Jackson, who intercepted one of the Texans’ two passes in the first quarter, got just enough of a hand in to disrupt Jones and secure the victory.

“My job was to make a play on the ball, and that’s what I tried to do,” Jackson said.

The Falcons had been 8-0 against rookie quarterbacks the last three seasons, including 2-0 this season. They left the field talking about Yates’ poise and the defense’s greatness.

No one in the home dressing room with disagree.

“I think that’s just about the best we could have played,” said inside linebacker Brian Cushing, who left the field with a knee injury but returned in the second half. “Giving up only 10 points to the Falcons with all their weapons and firepower, I think it says a lot about us.”

The Texans are 5-1 at home, where they allow only 12.1 points a game.

“The attitude around here, especially on defense, is that we want this kind of pressure,” Cushing said. “The previous two years, we were kind of the weak link, and now we’re strong, and it’s kind of 50-50, and everyone wants to be part of it.”